1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to furniture such as chairs which are made up of interwoven slats, and methods for manufacturing such furniture. More specifically, the invention relates to furniture and manufacturing methods in which slats are arranged in an interlocking lattice structure.
2. Related Art
It has been and remains a goal of fine furniture manufacturers to provide furniture that is simultaneously aesthetically pleasing, ergonomically comfortable, physically sturdy, and economical to manufacture.
One way to keep manufacturing costs down, is to make furniture from a minimum number of parts. By minimizing the number and types of parts, it becomes easier to assemble a chair into a finished product. This results in simplification and streamlining of the manufacturing process.
For aesthetic appeal, it is often thought desirable to provide furniture which is not "boxy" or "clumsy" in appearance. The furniture should project an appearance of lightness and stylishness. Sometimes the goals of physical lightness and economy of manufacture are in conflict. For example, if the surface of a chair were manufactured of a web of light-weight material, the weight-bearing frame of the chair has ordinarily been of different, heavier elements such as thick wooden or metal rods. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 151,967 and Des. 12,l44. In such known furniture, simplicity of manufacture has been compromised for the benefit of sturdiness.
In order to accomplish the aesthetic goal, light-weight material is advantageously employed. Lightness may be accomplished by using material which is thin, to avoid giving the furniture a bulky or boxy appearance. Unfortunately, using thin material which also satisfies the goal of structural strength has traditionally required use of metals, which in turn has prevented the furniture from being economical to manufacture.
Wood, because of its appearance and ease of working, is a common material for furniture. Further, wood has the advantage of thermal insulation, which, in practice, means that it does not feel uncomfortably cold in winter and painfully hot in summer. For ergonomic comfort, flexible and shaped materials are used to allow the furniture to flex and fit the shape of the body of the user. Traditional wood furniture with its thickness and hardness has not often fulfilled these criteria.
However, in certain cases, furniture which has been constructed of wood has been thicker than desirable, in order to meet demands of structural strength. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 12,144. Further, furniture made of wood often requires a large number of different parts, such as when thick wooden structural elements support thinner elements, such as the visible faces of the furniture.
Therefore, there is a need to provide furniture, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which the furniture is manufactured of a small number of different types of parts, thereby simplifying construction. There is a also need to provide furniture, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which the furniture is sturdy. There is further a need to provide furniture, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which the furniture is aesthetically pleasing. There is a further need to provide furniture which is ergonomically sound and comfortable. The present invention is directed toward filling those needs.